


Under the Waking Sea

by JuneLuxray



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen, M/M, Mermaids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-01 19:32:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5218043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuneLuxray/pseuds/JuneLuxray
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A distress call to a rift above the Waking Sea ends up being more than the Inquisition expected. Finding themselves underwater in an unfamiliar society with fish tails, they are called to close rifts under the sea.</p><p>Mermaids are weird.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Upon the Waking Sea

**Author's Note:**

> At first, this fic seemed too weird to write, but several of the others in the DA fandom used peer pressure to get me to write this fic. On tumblr, Puredisappointment (http://puredisappointment.tumblr.com/) made this beautiful piece of art (http://puredisappointment.tumblr.com/post/133098592425/just-keep-swimmin-just-keep-swimming-just-keep) which I used as a reference in following chapters. Go give their tumblr a look, they're a fantastic artist. They also lended me some assistance in writing the first two chapters, and I give my thanks!
> 
> So, mermaids. Enjoy, I hope.

It had started with a distress call from numerous sailors; a fade rift smack dab over the Waking Sea was causing turbulent weather and disappearances. Dawn Trevelyan cringed at the thought of going out at sea to close it; Maker only knew what the water conditions were like near it, and she had an uneasy stomach at sea. It had to be done, however; she was the only one with the ability to seal it. She did not voice her concerns or complaints as they headed to the Storm Coast.

The Coast was windy and chilled the visitors to the bone as they approached the shore. The rain soaked through their coats, which led to continuous moans and groans. A large boat being manned by a company that had offered to take the Inquisition for free awaited them near the camp in the northernmost part of the coast. The boat itself was large, painted a deep ocean blue, and covered with barnacles, but still it seemed in remarkable shape. The rest of it was fairly pristine. 

Numerous workers could be seen going to and fro around the ship, as well as several mages. The mages were wielding peculiar staves, the tips of which were an algae green in color, shaped into what appeared to be kelp. All of the people onship were wearing less heavy clothing than the Inquisitor's party, and none of them seemed bothered in the least by the weather. In fact, they even appeared to be enjoying the raindrops on their skin, looking calm and relaxed as they went about their business. They only stopped when the Inquisitor approached, her mark shining bright as ever in the cold. Dawn couldn't help but feel a little bewildered by their gazes; they were appraising, curious, and judging, she could tell. Judging her good or bad, she couldn't tell yet. 

A short, dark-skinned man with grey eyes and grey strands of hair that poked out from under his hat was waiting for them by the ship. He quietly walked their approach, hands behind his back, expression carefully controlled to remain as inscrutable as possible. He wore a fisherman's outfit and a long, strange-looking knitted hat that covered his ears and most of his scalp, which drew a raised eyebrow or two from the ones on land. He bowed slightly to the Inquisitor at her approach, and she responded in kind. 

"Greetings," he said quietly. His voice was deep and stoic, carrying an accent Dawn couldn't make out. It was deep, unusual. Not even Solas or Bull could recognize its origin, leaving both men to try to hide their suspicion and curiosity. "You are Inquisitor?"

Dawn nodded. "That's me. Inquisitor Dawn Trevelyan. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister..."

"Ah. Fisk. My name is Fisk." In spite of his attempts, he managed to look uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. "We welcome you upon the Mer's Fin. I must ask you to forgive the crew's silence when you board, for they do not speak the common tongue."

"Are you the only one who speaks it?" the Inquisitor asked, raising an eyebrow. Fisk nodded.

"Yes. I am the only one who can well enough to converse. The others know pieces but not the whole language; we are from an isolated area. The rift is greatly interfering with our lives, so we beseech you to close it."

Cassandra stepped forward, looking suspiciously upon them. "Where are you from that is so isolated still? I've never heard your accents."

The man hesitated before he spoke again. "A very small island," he answered finally, cautiously, "near the rift. We've lived in... _upon_ it for centuries. We rarely interact with landwalkers."

Dawn frowned. "I assume landwalker is your term for people not from your island?"

Sera scoffed. "Hate to tell you this...oh wait, no I don't. You're walking on two legs, too. _On land._ "

Fisk sighed deeply and said nothing. He silently turned and waved them along, guiding them onto the ship. Sera snorted. "Stuffy bunch of..."

Vivienne disdainfully covered her nose as they reached the deck. The entire ship reeked of fish, and all of its crew did to some extent. She also eyed the mages, who watched her silently. "Are they from a Circle?" she asked aloud. Fisk gave her a baffled look.

"What sort of circle? What are you talking about?"

The enchanter sighed, exasperated. "A Circle of Magi. Institutes for the responsible control of magic and mages. The Inquisitor and I are from Circles." Fisk's expression of befuddlement went largely unchanged. He shrugged.

"No. No Circles." he said nonchalantly. Vivienne frowned, though she expected that answer to be as such. 

"How are your mages trained responsibly, then?"

The man continued to give her a completely baffled look. "By the older mages. How else would they be trained?" He sounded completely oblivious to any of Vivienne's sudden concerns. Solas, however, grinned, pleased with the response.

"Yes, how else, Enchanter?" he snarked. Vivienne scoffed.

"Bite your tongue, Apostate."

Dawn already felt the effects of the boat rocking back and forth. She leaned against a flagpole with one hand, holding her gut with the other as she hung over, moaning already. Dorian crossed his arms. "Seasick already? I get seasick as well, but it hasn't hit me yet. You must have worse sealegs than I do."

A groan was the only response earned. A nearby mage approached the Inquisitor and calmly waved her staff over her. She felt the nausea slip away, and she looked up at the mage gratefully, smiling. "Thank you." she said, bowing; she hoped the mage would understand the gesture of bowing. The mage sighed and shook her head, muttering something Dawn couldn't make out as she walked away. 

"She can't believe that you're so sick so soon above the water. Do you not travel by sea?" Fisk asked, getting her attention. Dawn looked up and shrugged, standing up straight.

"I try not to. I get motion sickness very easily."

"A pity," he said nonchalantly, "but you needn't worry about experiencing it on our ship. Let me show you to your quarters and then we'll be off."

~*~*~*~

The quarters were simple but adequate. The room for the crew was simply a larger part of the inside of the ship with ten beds, one for each person. The walls completely undecorated, and the beds had simple white sheets. Upon laying on the mattresses, however, they found them to be comfortable enough. They settled in for the first night of travel, being informed that the spot where the rift was would take at least five days' travel. 

The Inquisitor and Dorian continued to get seasick every few hours. A silent mage would come down and cast a spell upon them to relieve symptoms and head back up without so much as a word. They would have asked for the specifics on the spell used if the mages could speak their language. Saying anything to them merely resulted in a polite bow and a hurried exit from their quarters. 

Cassandra had settled on one of the beds quietly and took to reading Swords and Shields again. Varric took to writing in a large journal, no doubt recording the day's events and the ship itself for his tales. Vivienne was peering through a spellbook in one hand, nose covered with a handkerchief in the other; the smell of fish seemed to permeate every part of the ship. Solas had taken to slumber, no doubt exploring the Fade; seldom did he get the chance to dream at sea. Sera was readying some face paint and creeping up to Solas, a devious grin on her face.

Blackwall and Iron Bull were playing Diamondback on the ground and murmuring lowly. Cole remained with Dawn and Dorian, who were lying in two beds next to each other. Both mages were still discomforted by the sea travel, and got dizzy upon standing. Cole took to tending to them peacefully. It could have been much worse without magic; Dawn knew she would be vomiting out of the window without it.

The smell of fish began to fade, briefly. Vivienne closed her spellbook as a few sparks of the last signs of a spell flew from her fingers, finally pulling the handkerchief away and breathing in deeply. It wasn't just her; nearly everyone else also let out a sigh of relief. Her spell was rendered useless, however, just a few moments later. A few crewmates came in with plates full of fish meat and what appeared to be seaweed, effectively filling the room with the stench of fish all over again. Silently they distributed the plates to everyone. Some of them eyed it with disgust, others with relief; they hadn't eaten in hours. Solas was roused and pushed Sera away, sighing, knowing she had drawn on him, taking his plate with a polite thank you. The crewmate merely bowed to him politely, as they all did.

Fisk brought the Inquisitor's plate to her, who sat up from the bed and took her dinner from him. She got a good look at it; the seaweed was charred, and the fish looked overcooked. A burnt smell accompanied the smell of fish. "We heard you like your fish...cooked? An odd custom to be sure," he explained, "but we hope you enjoy it."

Dorian grimaced at his plate disdainfully. "How else would we eat fish?"

Fisk shrugged. "We typically eat it raw. It seems to me like you'd be removing all the flavor from cooking it, but...if that's how landstriders want it..." He ignored some disgusted looks and departed with the others, closing the door behind him. Sera shuddered.

"These people are weird."

"At least they brought us dinner." Bull prodded the seaweed with his fork. "Anyone want my seaweed? It was served a few times on Par Vollen, but I hated it every time."

Cassandra took a bite of the fish and shrugged. "It's very bland, but it's not inedible."

Vivienne coughed after taking a bite. "Bland is an understatement. They just set this on fire and then served it to us. A little lemon juice and herbs would have gone a long way."

Solas tried the seaweed and immediately turned green. He swallowed it with great effort and surreptitiously tried to brush the remains off of his tongue in disgust. Sera was less polite about it. She spat out the seaweed in utter disgust, wiping her tongue with her hands desperately. "It...ugh! I'm gonna...pleh! _Ick!_ It's...it's stuck on my tongue!" 

Dorian closed his eyes and ate the fish. He groaned. "It's so...so... _dull_. Even Dawn could make it more tasteful than..." He shook his head. "No, no you can't, sorry." No one had forgotten the time the Inquisitor tried to cook dinner for them. They never let her near the cooking pot ever again, much to her humiliation. 

Dawn pouted. "That's hurtful, Dorian."

Varric shrugged. "The fish still tastes better than what they served at the Hanged Man. Could be worse. I'm more interested in the fact that apparently they eat fish raw." 

"Yes," Blackwall agreed, frowning, "I'm surprised they don't get worms just from the attempt. I knew a man once who tried to eat a fish straight out of the ocean. It wasn't pretty, and he was miserable for days."

Bull shook his head. "Nah. I've seen it done. If it's prepared right, you can get it in these...rolls with rice and sauce. Tastes good, and you don't get sick at all if a good chef makes it. Haven't had it in ages." He looked over at the Inquisitor. She was gnawing at the seaweed disdainfully, and the fish had been pushed aside as if by a very picky child. "Boss, why are you eating the seaweed? That's not going to be enough to keep you full."

"I'm allergic." she said petulantly, wrinkling her nose and sticking her tongue out at the plate. Vivienne sighed.

"Darling, we've gone over this before," she said flatly, "you're not allergic to fish meat. You're allergic to _shellfish_. I've goaded you for ages to try just a little of it, and while this certainly isn't the best example, it's likely all we're getting for the time being." she pressed. "Eat the fish."

The herald moaned like a sulking child. "I hate fish."

"You just haven't had it fried. You'd probably like it fried." Sera said cheerfully. "When we get back on land, I'll take you to this place that makes friggin' delicious fish and chips." She stopped and eyed her plate in disgust. "But this shite is not the best. Ick."

Solas smiled. "Perhaps they have lived on this diet for ages. They may be so used to it that the very idea of cooking fish seems as bizarre to them as eating it raw does to us."

"They are fish, half fish," Cole murmured, "but fish eat fish."

"Dawn," Sera whined, "he's not making sense again."

~*~*~*~

It had been five days and nights of eating nothing but fish and being cooped up in the hull. The weather outside was too intense and stormy to do much on the deck, and the waves were too rough for Dawn or Dorian to even get out of bed without stumbling. Much to their surprise, the crew continued to be completely unfettered by the intense rain and shaking. It almost seemed natural to them, and they hardly appeared to notice the winds and storm. 

Finally, the word had been given that they were approaching the rift. They suited up in their armor, gathered their weapons, and waited for the signal to come up and fight. The ship seemed to rock back and forth even more violently than before; the Inquisitor, Dorian, and now even Solas were left to support themselves with their staves. Sera and Bull were turning shades of green when Fisk appeared in the doorway, carrying a spear. The spear looked as though it was meant more for fishing than fighting, but it would do.

"It's time. Follow me up."

Dizzily and struggling to maintain their footing, they followed the man out and topside. The sky was practically pitch black from the storm clouds above, and waves rose so high that they poured over the edge of the ship. The Inquisition found themselves soaked to the bone almost immediately, struggling even harder to secure footing upon the slippery surface of the ship. Several of them stumbled awkwardly while the crewmates waited, looking unfettered and balanced in the storm. 

The ship was only a few feet away from a large rift above the water level, which crackled and cast a green glow over all of them. Dawn gasped slightly as the mark flared, feeling it being pulled ever so slightly towards the rift. For a moment she was caught in a cold terror in her heart, picturing herself being dragged off the ship and into the abyss below.

She had to remember that she was the Inquisitor. She was meant to inspire hope and courage in the others, and hid her fear with an angry glare at the rift. It spawned several demons on the ship's deck, and the fight began. None of the demons stood much of a chance against the combined efforts of the crew and the Inquisition, while Dawn focused on closing the rift. She threw her hand in its direction and held tightly onto the flagpole, gritting her teeth as a healthy dose of nausea, anxiety, and anger keep her alive. 

There was a flash, dealing damage to the remaining demons. They shrieked and faded away while the rift readied the next wave. Within seconds, the next round came, and the fight repeated itself over again. The demons fell against blade, arrow, and magic, and the rift flashed and weakened. Again the Inquisitor lifted her hand to close it-- and lost her grip on the pole.

She stumbled and slipped, being pulled towards the rift. Normally, she could stand her ground easily and resist the magnetation, but there was nothing for her to hold onto as it pulled her. Dawn let out a mortified shriek as she neared the water, and almost found herself overboard. Dorian threw his arms around her, pulling her back, gritting his teeth as he tried to not be pulled over with her. Bull hurried to them as fast as he could, along with the others, who scrambled to help pull her back in.

It was like tug-of-war, and she was the rope. Dawn yelped as the rift closed, knocking her back against Dorian, which managed to knock everyone else back like a trail of dominoes. She sat up and saw that the rift was closed, and she panted with a dumb grin on her face. It was over...it was really over!

Yet, the storm clouds and the darkness did not part. She had hoped it would be like Crestwood, where the storm subsided following the closing of the rift. Perhaps it was just bad weather, or...her train of thought stopped short when the sudden sensation of numbness, complete and utter numbness, hit her. Her legs in particular felt wrong, her neck aching powerfully.

Any of the standing companions were knocked off their feet as the spell hit them. A blue glow had settled on them all as the mages of the ship had turned on them, using a powerful spell upon them. None of the ship's mages showed any reaction or emotion as magic swirled around the Inquisition. 

Dawn and her party gasped for air and reached for their legs instinctively, feeling...they didn't know how to describe it. They were being changed and they didn't know how, though there was one thing; it felt like their toes were disappearing, legs being forced together. Their hands felt odd, fingers becoming more interconnected as something came between each individual one. " _It's a trap!_ " Cassandra choked out as their consciousness began to slip. Fisk walked...no, he looked as though he was sliding, much lower to the ground now, to them.

"Welcome to our home." he said, becoming distant as the magic finally overwhelmed them, and darkness swallowed them. 

They were in for a nasty shock when they woke up.


	2. Inside the Waking Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Inquisition wakes up to a nasty shock.

The Inquisitor's head was swimming as she came to. She moaned lightly, trying to make sense of the world again. The atmosphere around her felt heavier, colder, and...it didn't feel like air coming into her mouth when she opened it. She was still breathing, however, so she ruled it as a result of being knocked out. She blinked her eyes open and looked upward to see what looked like...

Dawn blinked. The ceiling spiraled upward in a cone like the inside of a seashell; a very large one, since the room itself was fairly sizable. Hallucinating, then. She had to be hallucinating. Sighing, she raised a hand to her forehead...and froze. Her fingers tried to splay open across her hands, but the feeling of webbing between them laid against her head. She held her hand up and opened her eyes again to see her fingers were webbed. 

Gasping in shock, she sat up, or at least tried to, as she found herself bereft of legs. Instead, her legs had been replaced with gold, white, and black striped scales upon a fish tail, the tail end broad and bright yellow. Blue fins decorated the sides of it. Raising a hand to her neck, she felt slits; gills. Her mouth hung open and she looked about the room, stopping short at what she saw.

All of her companions were in short kelp beds upon a soft, white sand ground, still unconscious. What was alarming was the fact that they, too, had become what she was. Bull's legs had been replaced with a bull shark tail, a fin on his back sticking into the bed. Cassandra's tail was black and white striped, like that of a barred knife-jaw's. Sera's legs had aptly been replaced with a clown fish tail. Blackwall appeared to have the tail of a porcupinefish; whether not it could inflate was yet to be determined.

Varric's was a bright yellow with blue spots, like a parrotfish tail. Solas's tail was that of a wolffish, with a long fin along his back and gray-colored stripes. Cole was the only other one awake, up and staring at the Inquisitor silently. His tail was black and shaped like a guppy's tail, with a broad fin at the tip that wavered in the water gently. Vivienne's was black and light yellow, with a fin on her back; her lower half looked like a Moorish idol. Dorian had taken on the tail of a lionfish, with all the fins attached to his sides, a long fin at his back that had fallen limp.

All of them had the same gills, same webbed fingers...and all of them were completely naked. Dawn realized this in mortification as she covered her breasts and looked for something to cover herself. Finally, she settled for pushing her chest into the bed and looking to her side. A very large sunken chest was by the door. Dorian was in the bed closest to her, his hair wavering in the water, fins flat against the bed. She wasn't sure how to go about waking them.

She reached over and tapped his arm, and the man began to rouse. He started to turn himself over to seek out the source of the disturbance when he froze, no doubt going through the same steps of confusion and revelation his best friend did. He bolted upright and looked down at himself, eyes going wide in shock and horror. The man covered his mouth to stop himself from letting out a scream. Breathily heavily, his webbed fingers trailed along his neck, feeling the gill slits.

Dorian slowly turned his head to the Inquisitor, who had moved into an awkward 'sitting up' position again, covering her chest with her arms. He gawked at her, jaw dropped. Dawn was certain that his eyes would be larger than the door into the great hall of Skyhold if they went any wider. He choked, coughing and reeling as he silently pulled back. Finally, their eyes met, and a long moment of mutual shock and dismay was shared without a word. He finally looked out to the others, taking in each before turning back to the Inquisitor.

"What...what in the world is happening? What are...we're...you're...I'm..." Dorian bit his lip and gingerly touched his scales. "This can't be happening...what bizarre demon of the Fade cooked up this nightmare?"

"I don't...I don't think this is a figment of the Fade." Dawn whispered, terrified. "I don't know what's happened to us. How, why...I don't know."

An ear shattering shriek, long and horrified, that could only belong to Sera made them snap to attention towards the rogue. Her shriek had begun to wake all the others up. She was breathing hard, chest raising and lowering rapidly as she stared between herself, Dorian, and the Inquisitor. 

"Where did my legs go?! I need those back! I don't... _I'm not a frigging fish!_ " she cried out, panicking, reddening in the face. "This is bad. This is so bad!" she screamed. She tried to pull herself off of the bed, but hadn't a clue how to swim properly yet. Yelping and gasping in surprise, she dragged herself across the sand with her arms up to the Inquisitor, scrambling to her, desperate. "Herald?! What's happening?! You know everything! _Fix this!_ "

A chorus of shocked gasps and cries of horror as the situation finally sank in for all of the others. Cassandra looked absolutely mortified as she took herself in, blanching as she was left speechless after shouting in surprise. She curled her tail over herself somewhat, using the fin end to try to cover her chest, examining the fins all the while in absolute befuddlement and dismay.

Vivienne was breathing in and out, trying to compose herself enough to evaluate the situation as best she could. Even she looked shocked and uncomfortable, and then angry. Someone was responsible for this, she knew. She covered her chest with her arms, crossing them over herself. Her expression went as stoic as possible and she turned to the Inquisitor, who still looked bewildered by Sera's outburst.

Solas was deathly silent, eyebrows raised as he looked around at the others and then at himself, trying to examine himself. His breath pitched briefly but he calmed himself with great effort, moving his hand along his new appendage. He looked up to the Inquisitor and recoiled briefly as he saw the others. The apostate mumbled something in elvish no one could make out.

Blackwall was expressionless, poking the spikes along his tail, which were down and flat. He pricked his finger along one of them, and upon lifting his hand and seeing blood float off into the water they were in, he realized this was no Fade dream. He almost slammed his back against the wall as he breathed in sharply, trying to process what was going on. When he saw that everyone, even the women, were shirtless, he covered his eyes with an arm, going red in the face. 

Bull shook his head, having just watched Blackwall's reaction. " _Fuck!_ Fuck, fuck fuck...what the fuck..." He repeated the statement several times and reached for his horns, rolling his palm over them. He breathed a tiny sigh of relief; they still were there. His gaze turned to his tail, looking around for something large that appeared to be absent. He growled and grimaced, looking up at the others. The qunari paused as he took in Dorian's lionfish fins, admiring them silently. The mage blushed and scowled as he noted his amatus taking him in.

Varric didn't move. Normally, he was talkative, and Dawn would have thought he had plenty to say on the matter. The only thing she could hear him say was "Well, shit. Shit, shit, _shit!_ " The dwarf shifted awkwardly, trying to figure out how to move. He didn't have a clue how to swim, much less with a tail. Dragging himself off like Sera, he crawled up to the chest and investigated it in a panic. Inside was all their gear, and he breathed a sigh of relief upon finding Bianca in it. As he inspected it for water damage, he found that it was completely unharmed. Some spell had been cast upon it to prevent damage.

Cole had swam up to try to calm Sera, who pushed him away in anger. He looked overwhelmed as every soul around him was panicking. Even Solas, who crawled up to him and gave him a reassuring smile, had a sense of fear Cole could sense. "They want us to help," he said, all eyes falling on him, "they brought us here because the mark can heal."

Dawn blanched, shrinking back as everyone turned to look at the Anchor. "So...you're all here...because of me and my stupid mark." She looked down at it guiltily. "Maker, I'm so sorry, everyone, I had no idea. None of you should have to be going through this."

"Don't be ridiculous," Dorian scolded, putting a hand on her shoulder with a sympathetic, pitiful frown, "this is not your fault. They've kidnapped us...mermaid kidnappers. This is ridiculous. I shudder to think of what might happen if you were here alone."

Cassandra exhaled sharply and nodded. "Agreed. We are your companions, Inquisitor. Good or ill, this is our job. Things happen. Besides, if there are rifts to be had in the sea, seafarers are in danger unless you close them."

Sera huffed and crossed her arms, pouting. "They could have friggin' warned us before they went bam, fish time!"

"Would you have come if we told you the truth?" Fisk's familiar voice came, and all eyes turned on a merman with salmon-esque scales coming through the door. His ears, once hidden under his unusual hat, had been replaced with what looked like fin flaps. His hands were behind his back. "I'm sorry for the deception, but we worried you would not come to our aid if we told you what we were going to do. And our world must remain a secret, at any cost."

" _You!_ " Blackwall snapped, angrily glaring him down, jabbing a finger at him. "You've got a lot of explaining to do! Why did you bring us here?!"

"What did you do to us?" Vivienne added, glowering. "This spell must be undone at once."

Fisk shrugged, looking completely unfettered. "And let you drown? Sure, just let me get the mages to undo your only method of surviving down here to close the rifts. Believe me, if we had another practical way, we would have done it. We tried to keep your appearance as similar to your appearance on land as possible." He pointed to his ears. "We managed to keep your ears the same. You're welcome."

Dawn sighed and tried to compose herself. "Who are you, really?" she demanded. Fisk crossed his arms.

"I am who I told you I was on the ship. In spite of remaining isolated from the land-walkers, we have at least one of us learn the languages of the land. There was much arguing and disagreeing, as we are strongly isolationist, but we had no choice but to bring you down here." he explained. "We need your mark, Inquisitor. At least four rifts have opened in our sea, and they endanger our people, the merfolk."

Solas's expression had softened slightly, now completely curious. "Why remain so isolated? How will you ascertain that we remain silent about your world?"

"Simple," he explained, "anyone you tell about us will just think you're insane. Merfolk are but legends to you, and without proof, who will believe any of you? The people on land are savages, all of them. We want none of your war or trade or Blight. We are safe down here, alone." He groaned. "Until now, at least. But you won't tell anyone. Don't want the Inquisitor and her party to seem...off. How well will nobles support any of you if they think you've gone stark raving mad?"

Still Fisk seemed completely unbothered by the glares he was receiving from everyone. Varric scoffed. "You just expect us to not tell this to anyone? Ever? Without any sort of thanks? What happens after the Inquisitor closes your rifts? 'Thanks for the help, now get out with your legs and pretend like none of this happened?'"

"Don't be ridiculous. We would not bring any of you here with such a task without a reward in mind. We reward hard work, and we have heard about you, and respect you, Inquisitor." Fisk retorted, looking only at the Inquisitor as stoically as ever. "You help us, and we'll sink any Venatori ships that try to cross over our sea. They'll never know who did it, keeping us a secret, and slowing their efforts greatly." He exhaled deeply, looking resigned. "We never interact with the land-walkers. Things have grown so dire that we have no choice. These Venatori support the one who wrought this upon us, and destroying their ships will be a pleasure."

Knowing she had no choice and that she couldn't very well leave them to face the rifts alone, Dawn groaned and accepted. "We will help, on the condition you follow through with your attacks on Venatori ships and return us to normal when we are done."

"That was our intention all along, Inquisitor. Look at the lot of you, anyways; none of you have a clue how to swim! You don't belong down here. You were born with legs, and you'll have them back in due time." He raised a hand towards the chest. "Your gear is in here, though your armor will not fit you in your new bodies. Mages, we do not advise using electric spells underwater."

Cassandra huffed. "Do you have anything to cover our chests with?"

It suddenly occurred to Fisk that all the land-walker women, save for Sera, who appeared as though she couldn't care less, were covering their breasts and blushing. He raised an eyebrow. "Er...why?" he asked. "I thought your garments on land were for the sole purpose of keeping warm. Why are you covering your breasts? There's nothing wrong with them."

"It's inappropriate, not that any of you would understand," Vivienne snapped, "surely you have something to cover ourselves with."

Fisk thought briefly and shrugged. "Some of the merfolk have taken to wearing clamshell...I think they're called bras? They use them as fashion statements. We could fetch you a few pairs if it makes you feel better."

"Clamshells?" Sera shuddered. "That sounds right uncomfortable. I think I'll stay topless, thanks."

Dawn made an exasperated groan. "What other options do I have? If none...fine, bring the bras."

Fisk rolled his eyes. "Right away. Once you've adjusted and you can swim halfway decent, I'll be waiting for you outside. I will be your guide to the rifts that need to be closed."


	3. Everything is Awkward

Learning to swim with fish tails was taking the group longer than Fisk imagined. After an hour, he went back inside to see that only Cole was swimming proficiently. He found them in a number of undignified positions; Varric was face-down in the sand, for one. 

Dawn had managed to propel herself to the tip-top of the room and was now holding onto a high window for dear life as she tried to figure how to get down, eyes wide and cheeks bright red. Vivienne and Cassandra were trying to figure out how to swim upwards without coming right back down to rescue the Inquisitor. Cassandra swam up a few feet, trying to reach for the Herald. She fell back as she moved her arms and fins the wrong way, hands pushing up instead of down, and ended up crashing into Vivienne. Both women hit the sand below, looking more exasperated than hurt. Bull was upside-down, horns stuck in a kelp bed. Dorian was floating next to Bull, a hand over his face, looking completely done with everything.

Blackwall was holding Sera up as she tried to move her tail. She finally figured out to move it up and down, and he let her go. She swam, almost circling the room before coming near Fisk. The elf struggled to slow down in time, swinging her arms around desperately. Fisk ducked just in time for her to zip past his head and hit Solas, who had been practicing on the other side of him. Both elves yelped and crashed against the wall. Moaning and groaning resulted as they pulled apart, dazed and heads aching.

Fisk rolled his eyes "Oh, for..." He sighed. "Everyone, gather around. Looks like I'll have to be giving you a demonstration."

"You think?" Cassandra grouched. Cole retrieved the Inquisitor from the ceiling and brought her down, and all eyes turned on the teacher as he began. 

"This should be easy, really. Your tail moves up and down, not side-to-side. You need to be using your hands to help you pull yourself through the water at lower speeds. When you want to go faster..." He tucked his arms at his side and swam around the room quickly and effortlessly. The others ducked as he went by, watching him swim. "Watch me!"

After another half-hour and many bruises later, the group was swimming at least well enough to leave the shell. "That'll do for today," Fisk said tiredly, "you have a day to adjust. Tomorrow we'll set out for the rifts. Let me show you around the settlement for now, in case you need anything. Follow me."

They followed him out to his world, where they paused in awe at the sight of the first underwater city they'd ever seen. All the buildings were enlarged seashells of all shapes, sizes, and colors, no doubt done with magic. No set roads existed as the merfolk swam around and below to wherever they needed to go. Mages did not hide, as several passersby carried odd staves, looking as though they were carved out of driftwood. Some of the staves even looked like the ones the mages on the ship bore, shaped like seaweed. The merfolks' tails were just as varied and beautiful as the Inquisitor's party.

The party drew immediate stares, the Inquisitor most of all. Several merfolk began to swam in their direction to investigate, and before they knew it, they were surrounded by curious people. One mermaid mage in particular reached for the mark to investigate it before Fisk slapped her hand away. He shook his spear at the crowd, cursing them in a language the group couldn't understand. They dispersed, grumbling with backwards glances. 

Fisk sighed. "I apologize. The merfolk don't have such a need for personal space as the landwalkers do. They mean you no harm, but they will try to investigate you." He smiled. "They're particularly taken by you, Inquisitor."

Dawn forced a smile. "It's alright."

~*~*~*~

By the time they returned to the shell house they were staying in, it had grown dark out, and the city was pitch black, not that any of them seemed to care. Fisk clarified that merfolk could see in the dark like elves and dwarves, and was surprised to hear that humans and qunari were left blind in the dark. Vivienne, Dorian, and Dawn took to summoning magical lights, soft and white, inside. However, nosy as the mermaid passersby were, peeked into the windows to see the lights. Apparently finding the lights utterly charming, word spread fast and soon a majority of the houses had lights floating around like bubbles, shining in the night. 

Awkwardly, they settled back in the beds they woke up in. Vivienne had traded several gold coins for beauty supplies from a merchant, and found herself rubbing a sweet-smelling lotion on her tail that made it shine. Sera gave her an incredulous look, hugging herself, still not pleased with the situation.

"Why are you doing that?" she huffed. "Who are you showing off for? None of your fancy-pants friends are here to see the high and mighty Madame Fancypants with a fish tail!"

Vivienne rolled her eyes. "No, and I would not want them to see me as such, but as it stands, I am stuck like this until we return to the surface. That's no excuse to not ensure I don't come back reeking of fish and looking like a mess. These people here will see me at my best, with or without a tail." Her nose wrinkled and she sighed. That was the thing Vivienne found most disgusting about the experience; everything, and certainly everyone in that room, smelled like fish. The merfolk didn't notice at all, and gave them an odd look when a few covered their noses in the more densely populated areas of the sea.

The products Vivienne was applying only did so much to help mask it. She handed off a comb to the Inquisitor and a bottle of...something for her hair. "You have the longest hair here, my dear. I bought you a gift to try to tame it while we're down here. When you're done, try applying this lotion I just used." She admired her own tail, which shined as the lights passed over it. "At least they do make the scales look impeccable."

"Yes, it is rather shiny," Dorian agreed, "pass me the bottle, please?" He sniffed his arm and groaned in disgust. "Anything to help. Maker, how do these people not notice? How do they live with this?"

Dawn glanced down at the comb and bottle in her hands as Vivienne passed him the bottle over her, raising an eyebrow. She reached for her hair; it only went down just barely past her shoulders, but the water held it up, and it wavered and moved constantly. Grabbing it all was more of a challenge than she would have guessed. The bottle she set in her lap fell off as she reached for her locks of hair, and then when she dropped the comb to reach for the conditioner, it carried across the room by a current to Sera. 

Sera shrugged and began pulling it through her hair. Dawn decided to just get it back from her when she was done before she remembered that she had magic; she would have thrown a hand in her face if she had a free one. Sighing, she got to work, using her magic to hold what she needed.

Cassandra was leaning against the wall, uncomfortably fiddling with her dark blue shell bra. Sera took notice and tossed the comb back at Dawn, whose concentration broke at the flying comb. She ignored the withering stare the Inquisitor sent her. "Why not just take it off?" Sera blurted. The seeker scoffed.

"You may feel comfortable running... _swimming_ around like that, but I don't. And since my armor won't fit with this...back-fin..." She glared at her back, huffing. "The bra is the only thing that I can fit on."

"Why does it matter?" Sera asked, rolling her eyes. "They're just tits. Bull has his out all the time, and Dorian even has one of his out usually. Everyone has 'em out here, and I can't say that I mind." Sera laughed. "That's the only good thing that's come out of being made fishy; feels good having 'em free." 

It had been incredibly uncomfortable for Blackwall and Solas, who tried to avert their gazes the whole time they were out. Their cheeks had turned bright red several times that day. Both had avoided looking at Sera, who didn't seem to notice or care. Vivienne raised an eyebrow at the elf. "It doesn't bother you at all? Oh, what am I saying; why would it bother you?" she sneered. Sera grinned.

"Friggin' right it won't. I'm just pissed because I want to wear my armor when we go to the rifts, but no, my gear won't fit, they'll have to be giving us that weird lobster armor."

Cassandra's head shot up. "What do you _mean_ , lobster armor?" she demanded, eyes wide. Sera shrugged.

"Talked to Fisk. Apparently when people go fighting, they get like these weird armor pieces they fit around their fins so they don't get stabbed to death or whatever. He showed me a set. It's ugly as anythin', but it's what they have."

The seeker's eye twitched. "You mean...they had _armor_...all this time...and made me wear this?" She charged out of the house, no doubt seeking Fisk, black and white fins going. There was a moment of silence, and the Inquisitor cleared her throat.

"Should I go make sure she doesn't kill him?"

"Nah," Varric said, "she'll probably only hit him a few times if he gives her what she wants, maybe a little dragging on the ground, and a book stabbed with a knife." He groaned. "Speaking of books, apparently they left all of my books and notes up on the ship. I can't even start writing about this mess."

"Even if you could, everyone would think you were lying." Blackwall said, scoffing. Varric grinned.

"Hero, the best stories are the ones that are true, but everyone thinks is bullshit. Or the worst. Haven't decided." He looked at his tail again briefly and then to the Inquisitor with a sigh. "Did I ever mention that all the stuff that happens to you is weird?"

"And you, too," Dawn retorted, "you're all in this mess with me. _With fish tails_. You're the one who fought Orsino with Hawke when he apparently became a giant blood magic corpse monster."

"Fair enough. This shit's still weirder, though." Varric replied. He shook his head. "Can't wait for Hawke to hear about this..."

Bull snorted, leaning against the wall by Dorian, his back fin propping him up slightly. "Good luck with telling her about this one. I'm pretty sure those merfolk don't want us talking. But you tell her all the weird shit, anyways. She's not gonna be really surprised by any of this, probably."

"Provided she believes him, that is." Dorian pointed out as he passed the bottle back to Vivienne, though he didn't look up from his scales. He was still looking them over to ensure they were in tip-top shape before taking the comb from Dawn, trying to make his own hair look decent still. Being underwater made it rather difficult to maintain. He finally looked up and was about to open his mouth to say something else when he noticed Bull admiring his tail. The qunari grinned.

"Come on, let's go do something fun. I heard they have frozen cubes of alcohol down here, and I wanna try them. My treat, big guy." He took Dorian by the hand and they exited the shell, Dorian looking baffled and mildly concerned.

Silence fell over the shell again for several more moments until Sera looked towards Blackwall and began giggling loudly. Rainier raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny? You're fishy, too."

"It's your butt," Sera cackled, "you have a pufferfish butt."

"Tail. It's a tail," Blackwall protested, arms crossed, "you have one, too. Yours is a clownfish tail. Appropriate."

"That's not what I'm snickering about, arse," she corrected, still giggling, "if you have a pufferfish butt, does that mean it inflates?"

"What?! Maker, no!" the man blurted, flustered. "At least, I hope not."

"Please, no, don't put that image in my head." Solas interrupted, scowling. He had been relatively silent, laying down, thinking. The elf would have gone to sleep to explore the Fade under the sea as soon as they came back, but his mind was too active. Too much had happened to fall asleep so soon. He was left staring at his tail in utter silence.

Sera had jumped when he spoke. "Shite, I thought you were walking around the Fade, you were so quiet! Don't do that to me!"

Solas exhaled sharply. "It's hard to sleep. This is all...unexpected, even for me. And I have seen the strangest things in the Fade, that people say don't exist or didn't happen." He reached for his tail again, running his hand over it. "I have been made one of them, the merfolk, if only for a short time. This...this is extraordinary. Imagine what I can learn from the dreams here, if only I could sleep."

 _"Lungs breathing water, swirling, dazed, he stumbles without feet, trying to learn to swim all over again. He trips, looking around for spirits, wondering if this is a figment of the Fade."_ Cole murmured. _"But it's not, and this is real. The wolf is half fish. A wolffish. Sleep. Sleep, why won't you come? Mind, why won't you calm?"_

Varric huffed. "Shit, if Chuckles is thrown off by this, then we know this is a freaky situation." He looked up as the door opened, and back in came Cassandra, now decked in what looked like pieces of unusually large crustacean shell, painted like her armor. She was grumbling to herself and swam over to her bed, settling. In spite of her look of frustration, she still appeared the most comfortable they had seen her all day.

"Where did Bull and Dorian go?" she asked after a moment. Dawn shrugged.

"Out and about. They should be back soon." She raised an eyebrow as Cassandra laid back, her armor clinking and rustling. "Are you going to sleep in--"

"Yes. This is far more comfortable than a clamshell bra." she snapped. "I am used to armor. This is fine for me."

After an hour or two passed, and several of the group had gone to sleep, Dorian and Bull returned to the shell. Bull was grinning, and Dorian was blushing, his slight smile fading when the Inquisitor woke up and peered over at them curiously. "What were you two up to?"

Bull chuckled. "The _kinkiest_ \--"

"Nevermind," Dawn interrupted, laying back down, "I don't want to know."


	4. The Cleaning Station

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group closes the first half of the rifts, and returns back to base for uncomfortable R&R.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a note, I edited some of the first chapter. You may wish to read it. It might make this chapter make more sense.
> 
> Also, I kept almost writing Fisk's name as Finn. I blame the fact I went to see Star Wars.

Breakfast the next morning was not exactly what any of them were hoping to see again.  
  
Plates of raw fish nestled in seaweed wraps had been distributed to each of the party members. Dawn's nose wrinkled. "This...doesn't count as _cannibalism_ , does it?" she asked as she held up a roll. Groans of disgust followed, and Cassandra punched the herald in the arm, glaring at her as the other woman winced and clutched her arm ruefully. She made a disgusted noise.  
  
"You just _had_ to make that comparison..." the seeker groaned.  
  
Fisk had joined them, and he leaned by the door, calmly popping the fish pieces in his mouth. He rolled his eyes. "Just try it, alright? In your merfolk forms, you won't suffer any ill effects from eating raw fish. It's good for you, and no, it's not cannibalism." He smiled. "You may even be surprised by how good it is. Perhaps your taste buds have...changed a bit as well."  
  
Bull picked up a piece and after a moment's hesitation, put it in his mouth. He only had to chew a moment before his eyes widened and he reached for another. "'S good!" he said with a full mouth. He swallowed and grinned. "That's the best damn fish I've ever had."  
  
Dorian was still poking at the fish disdainfully, nose wrinkled in disgust. Bull took notice and picked a piece, holding it up for him. "I'll help you, Kadan. Open your mouth."  
  
"No! Vishante kaffas, no, I can do it myself!" Dorian protested, snatching the fish meat from the qunari. After another second of hesitation, he knit his eyes shut and popped it in his mouth. He chewed a bit, and his eyes opened, widening in surprise. "It's...it's actually good."  
  
"We had our best chef prepare that for you, so it should be." Fisk said with a smile. "As I suspected, your tastes are somewhat changed for the time being. Just try it." he repeated. Reluctantly, the others picked up the pieces from the plate and tasted their first servings of raw fish. Like Bull, their eyes widened; never had fish ever seemed so good to them. Before they knew it, their plates were clean. Sera was trying to nab an extra piece from Vivienne, who pushed the elf away.  
  
"This is my plate, Darling. You ate yours." Vivienne scolded. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's good. I'm not sharing with you."  
  
"You're taking forever!" the rogue protested.  
  
"I'm eating slowly, not just shoving it in my mouth. Don't be crude."  
  
"Hmph!" Sera grouched. She turned to the Inquisitor, who was holding a piece of fish with a fork, staring silently at it. The Herald closed her eyes, pinched her nose as she did every night on the ship when served dinner, and shoved the meat in her mouth. Her eyes widened as she opened them, sliding the fork out of her mouth. Silently, she picked up another piece and ate it carefully, as though she might explode from the mere action of eating it. She smiled, ever so slightly.  
  
Fisk grinned. "I'll send for seconds. After that, armor will be brought to you, and we should be off for the first rift."  
  


* * *

  
Their weapons had spells put on them to maintain condition underwater, and made it as easy to strike underwater as it would be on land. Everyone was somewhat surprised to find no water resistance when they moved the weapons, making it easy for fighting. Well, as easy as it could be, as they still weren't quite used having to fins instead of legs.  
  
Varric held Bianca against his chest as he swam, having to work to keep up with the others. He was still the most awkward swimmer they had, and eventually the Herald slowed down by his side, raising an eyebrow. "You feeling alright, Varric?"  
  
"I'm fine," he grumbled, "it's just...I can't swim with _legs_ , and it's hardly easier with fins." He looked to the others ahead. The others were swimming like he was, tails going up and down, arms tucked at the sides. Some were a little more graceful than others; Dorian twirled through the water, fins shining in the light of the mages' staves. Sera was swift, almost at Fisk's speed. Vivienne managed to make herself look graceful, not going quite as fast, but her fins moved in smooth, up-and-down graceful movements. Black, white, and yellow scales glistened under the light from her staff.  
  
Cassandra looked back at the dwarf from ahead, held her webbed fingers out to slow herself, and caught up with the Inquisitor and Varric. She nodded to the Herald, and each woman took an arm and pulled the dwarf along through the water. Varric snorted. "Why, Seeker, Inquisitor, this is kind of you, but--"  
  
"You're going too slow, and the faster we close the rifts, the faster we get our legs back." Cassandra snapped. "I'm not any more pleased about the situation than you are." She gave a disgusted look at her tail. "I'm half _fish_ , and I reek of _fish_ \--"  
  
"-- _all_ of us do, unfortunately." Dorian interjected as the three caught up to the rest of the group.  
  
"None of us ever thought we could take our legs for granted." Blackwall grunted. "I've poked myself at least a dozen times so far on my own fins."  
  
Solas smiled. "It was certainly not expected, but let us take the bad with the good." he said simply. "The dreams here were fascinating. I look forward to another trip to the Fade under the Waking Sea."  
  
"I can't dream, Chuckles." Varric huffed. "I'm not sure that I would _want_ to after going into the Fade."  
  
A faint green light was growing bright and brighter as they approached it. The Inquisitor dropped Varric's arm as she gasped, the mark flaring as they drew close. Fisk frowned at her, looking backwards. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I'm alright." she grunted, trying to grab onto Varric again. The dwarf gently pushed her glowing hand away, smiling at her reassuringly.   
  
"That's alright, Inquisitor. I appreciate the help, but your mark really stings to touch when you're near a rift."  
  
"It does?" Dawn asked, frowning. "Since when?"  
  
"Since always," Sera said readying her bow as the rift began spawning demons, "I remember one time you were helping me up a hill, pulling me up when I tripped. Then your hand got all glowy and _zap!_ " She shuddered. "Made all my hair stand on end. And yeah, it stung like a bee got me right in the palm."  
  
The herald blushed. "Oh, um, sorry."   
  
"It's not your fault." Dorian reassured. "I shudder to imagine what it feels like to _you_."  
  
Dawn chose not to respond further as they reached the rift and cast Dispel on a spawn point. The other points flashed, and demons appeared. The demons, however, completely lacked legs; all of them, even the Pride demon that came. They all bore fins, just like the party. They darted and swam around the party, who readied themselves as best they could for underwater combat.  
  
" _Fuck!_ " Bull cursed. "They're not supposed to swim!"  
  
The group bolted around the demons, dodging attacks somewhat more easily from behind able to move in more directions, not so limited by gravity. The rogues used this to their advantage, darting and striking from all angles, dodging bolts of magic. Sera finished off a despair demon with a precise shot that darted through the water and through its face. With a shriek, it dissipated, pulled back into the rift.  
  
"Use your mark, Herald!" Fisk barked. "We'll cover you!"  
  
Dawn nodded and threw her hand forward, gritting her teeth as the mark reacted with the rift. She jammed the blade of her staff into the sand below, anchoring herself. Her connection was cut off when a terror appeared in front of her, pushing the mage back. She almost lost her grip on her staff, but did not fall onto her back as she would have expected to on land.  
  
Swimming backwards, she summoned a spectral blade and swung it at the terror just as it magically froze solid. Bull and Cassandra both struck it at the same time, sending tiny frozen bits flying. Dawn nodded to them, and then to Vivienne, who had realized that her ice spells were still quite effective underwater. With a quick smile and a nod, Vivienne got back to buisness, freezing demons and letting Bull break them.  
  
The next wave came, and another round of terrors, despair demons, and a pride demon appeared. Adrenaline kept their hearts beating as the same routine found the party destroying the aquatic demons. Finally, when only a few remained, the herald thrusted her hand towards the rift again. The mark disrupted the rift, and the demons recoiled as it shocked them. Some were pulled back into the rift, and any remaining ones were quickly struck down by the others. The last one, the pride demon, had a bolt from Bianca pierce its chest before it faltered and flew back into the rift.  
  
Again, her hand flew towards the rift, and eyes fell upon the Herald as she steadied herself, digging her staff into the sand. Her hand and the rift flashed, and she pulled back, the rift cracking and dissipating. Sighing, she set her staff back, instinctively moving to wipe her brow.   
  
Sera glared at Fisk. "Why didn't you tell us that the demons are fishy here, too? Could have warned us!"  
  
"I thought you would know. It seemed obvious to me." he said with a shrug. Solas picked through the remains of one of the demons and straightened himself up.  
  
"It makes sense. The demons and spirits will adjust themselves accordingly to us and the environment." he said calmly. "They adjusted, just as we were made to adjust to being under the sea. It does not come as a great shock."  
  
"To _you_ , anyways." Cassandra remarked dryly.  
  
Fisk shrugged again, nonchalant as always. "As you say. Come along, we have another rift to close today if we're to remain on schedule."  
  


* * *

  
By they time they got back to the city, everyone was bone-tired. They stripped their armor off back in the hut they were assigned to and sought out Fisk for news on dinner, and where to clean up. Cassandra was reluctant to take her armor off, but at the urging of Fisk to get it repaired for the next day's combat, she allowed it to be taken away.  
  
Bloodstains, sand, and scratches were yet to be cleaned. None of them got a word in before Fisk urged them to follow. "Dinner is being prepared. For now, let me show you where you can get clean."  
  
The merman led them to an enormous outcropping of a variety of corals, sponges, anemones, kelp, rocks, and many, many small fishes. They were vividly colored fishes, tiny things, many with bright blue stripes. It was practically an underwater forest. Several caretaker mermaids ordered the fishes around, who appeared to be trained, not unlike dogs. Vivienne raised an eyebrow. "Why did you take us here?"  
  
"Come along." Fisk said simply. He had them follow him out the main station, a clearing where merfolk calmly floated still as the fish picked at their skin, hair, even inside their mouths. The group gawked, blinking, looking mildly disgusted.  
  
"You can't be serious." Dorian moaned.  
  
"The fish are trained, very thorough and clean. You'll probably come out cleaner than any bathing you do on the surface." Fisk reassured, leading them to a mermaid with a school of perhaps thousands of fish, just waiting behind her. He cleared his throat and, in the language they could not understand, asked for a full cleaning for all of them.  
  
She responded, smiling and bowing her head. She moved to pull the bras off of the women, only to be swatted away by Vivienne and Cassandra. Dawn just looked mortified as she eagerly took her bra away. The mermaid frowned and tried to ask them what was wrong in her language, cocking her head to the side. Fisk muttered something to her and turned to the women.  
  
"You'll have to remove your bras. I ordered a full cleaning, and the fish need to get past the bras."  
  
"No." Cassandra snapped.   
  
"Absolutely not." Vivienne protested.  
  
"I don't want them poking at my tits!" Sera cried. Dawn covered her now-exposed breasts, completely red in the face. Fisk huffed.  
  
"Ugh...I can have you cleaned separate from the men if it bothers you that much."  
  
"They won't look." Cole reassured. "Solas and Blackwall are too embarrassed, and Dorian, Varric, and The Iron Bull are polite. Dorian isn't interested anyways." True to his words, all the men were looking away. Dorian and Bull looked unbothered, but kept their eyes averted out of respect. Varric seemed too distracted by all the merfolk around and the massive schools of glistening fish to even look at the others. Solas and Blackwall were just as red in the face as the Inquisitor, desperately looking anywhere but her. The red on Solas's cheeks spread to his ears.  
  
After some debating, the women found themselves all bereft of bras in a private cave, a few feet away from the others. The fish moved in with the mermaid trainer's consent, descending eagerly upon the group to feast upon the filth. A few times, someone would briefly yelp as a fish went for a sensitive area.   
  
"They're up my nose!" Sera cried nasally. "Agh! Don't poke at me there... _eek!_ " She shuddered as a fish went for the underside of one of her smaller fins, poking at a sensitive area. It tickled her a bit too much, and she was going to bite her lip and shut her mouth when several fish entered her mouth and poked at her teeth. A low moan from her throat was her cry of distress.  
  
The Inquisitor could not respond, as several fish rooted around her teeth for plaque as well. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes were full of discomfort. The fish didn't notice her discomfort and picked around her eyes, making it near impossible to blink. They seemed to like her hair, and swam in and around it while they worked.  
  
Cassandra tried to keep herself from shuddering as they picked at her scrapes, bruises, and cuts, cleaning the blood and debris away. "They're-- _ugh!_ Too thorough." she grouched. She jumped as they got too close to her chest, and she continued to look mortified. Vivienne was saying nothing, merely giving a disdainful and disgusted look to any cleaner fish that passed through her vision. She winced as they began poking through her very low-cut hair and fingernails.  
  
Dorian's lip tickled as several fish picked at his mustache. He wanted to itch but couldn't, and looked particularly uncomfortable, staring upwards, twitching. Beside him, dozens of the feeder fish were picking at Bull's horns. Bull looked the most comfortable next to Cole, which was an achievement in and of itself, considering the qunari still looked fairly uncomfortable.  
  
"This is the closest I've gotten to horn balm in months. Not bad, actually." he grunted.  
  
Solas twitched and grimaced as the fish poked at his ears, and he cursed in Elvhen as they seemed to insist upon investigating his ears. His swearing was cut off when they took the opportunity to clean his teeth. The elf sighed and allowed them to continue their work, closing his eyes. Varric stared down at the many fishes at his chest hair, looking slightly embarrassed, cheeks turning ever so slightly red. Cole looked completely unbothered, and let the fish go about their business with no discomfort, and didn't move an inch as they worked.  
  
By the time they were done, however, all of them were clean as a whistle. Not a single drop of blood remained on them, and they felt much, much cleaner, if not somewhat violated. Everyone left the cleaning station very red in the face, save for Cole and Fisk. Fisk waved back at the mermaid who trained the school of fish, which she returned with a smile and a nod. She called something after them, that only Fisk could understand.   
  
He bowed his head to her and responded calmly, carrying on with the others. Dawn raised an eyebrow. "What did she say?"  
  
"She said to come back soon. I told her that we'd be dropping by tomorrow after the last of the rifts are closed for another session."  
  
Everyone groaned loudly.  
  


* * *

  
"You know, it's funny."  
  
"Varric, there is _nothing_ funny about this situation at all. We've all been turned half-fish. We've lost our legs. What are you talking about?" Cassandra snapped. The seeker angrily shoved a piece of fish meat in her mouth, glaring at the dwarf. Dinner had been served that night, and very little had been said until Varric broke the silence. The dwarf smiled.  
  
"It's just that I didn't much care for seafood before now, but now it's...well, as attractive as red lyrium is to a red templar. And I distinctly remember Dawn over there _hating_ seafood with a burning passion." Varric said, pointing a fork in her direction. The Inquisitor shrugged.  
  
"It's not my fault that seafood wants to kill me."  
  
Vivienne rolled her eyes. "For the last time, Darling, you're deathly allergic to _shellfish_. Crustaceans and fish are _not_ the same thing. You were just too paranoid to touch anything edible that came out of the sea until recently. Speaking of which, do slow down, Darling, you're eating just like Sera does."  
  
"Friggin' right." Sera said brightly, grinning at the Herald. "Keep going! Don't listen to Madame Fancy-Pants." Her fins flapped, and she waved her tail up and down. "Josie's not here to tell you otherwise! And your Cully-Wully, he'll be happy to hear you like fish now!"  
  
The Inquisitor ignored both of them and kept eating.  
  
Varric cleared his throat and continued. "Anyways, these merfolk, they're _thorough_. Everything down to the fins, waterproofing weapons, and our tastes, apparently. They were _ready_ for us." He pursed his lips. "How long exactly _have_ they been planning our arrival? Have they had other people here before? What if that's where all those fairy tales about mermaids came from...except they're not just tales!" He whistled. "Shit. If there was ever a time I needed my notebook..."  
  
Cole frowned. " _Lungs sting, salt in my wounds, I can't breathe. The world is going dark and quiet, the splash was the last thing in my ears, falling, falling, gone...fresh breath of air, gasping, trying to stand but no more legs. Welcome home. The sea is our home now. His home. Toss aside my old name, I'm free, free, finally free. A new name, a new life, a new family._ " His frown faded in favor of a smile. "They help people. They're scared, but they help. People thrown overboard are saved. Fisk lived."  
  
Dorian's eyes widened. "Fisk was a _human?_ " he asked, astonished.  
  
"Not a human. An elf. Not anymore." Cole murmured. "He doesn't miss himself."  
  
Cassandra scowled. "You mean he's been playing the fool this whole time? He knew everything about the surface...that accent was faked, all those lies about not knowing the culture on land...he _lied!_ "   
  
Sera shivered. "So, he used to have legs? That's...weird. He doesn't seem like he should have legs at all. He's too fishy and _soo_ not elfy."  
  
Varric sighed. "He must have been thrown overboard. He got luckier than he ever realized he could get, I suppose." He peered over at Solas, who had gone dead silent, looking down, his plate grasped tightly in his hands. "Chuckles?"  
  
"It's nothing. Just...just a pity." he said quietly, almost shamefully. Dawn gulped the bite of food in her mouth and frowned.  
  
"But...why lie to us about this?"  
  
The dwarf grinned. "Now, that? _That's_ a story worth investigating."


	5. Aneth Ara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group confronts Fisk about his false history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKA the chapter where Fisk drops his emotional baggage. 
> 
> Thought about making this longer, but I'll drop it here as the boring chapter and get on with it in the next chapter.

"Aneth ara, falon."  
  
Solas's calm voice made Fisk stop short when he came the next morning. His hand was still on the door, and he blinked, clearing his throat. "I was not taught elven," he tried to said as politely as possible, "but I assume that means--"  
  
"We know you were originally an elf." Cassandra snapped, glaring at him. "Stop lying to us."  
  
Fisk's eyes widened and he blanched. "I...I don't know what you're--"  
  
"You were thrown overboard, and they helped. You can breathe." Cole said brightly. The merman glared at the boy and closed the door behind himself, eyes full of anger. He growled.  
  
"Should have known the spirit boy would have ratted me out." His accent had changed dramatically in that one sentence. The accent most of the other merfolk had in their speech was no longer present. Instead, a heavy Ferelden accent accompanied his speech. He crossed his arms. "That was none of your business, and has nothing to do with the mission at hand. Why're you prying?"  
  
Cassandra swam up to him, glaring daggers into him. "You lied. Why did you lie?"  
  
"That's none of your fucking business, now, is it? I was ordered to help the Inquisitor close the rifts. Giving you my life story was not part of my orders, so piss right off. You've got no right to be prying into my history." He scoffed. "I never even wanted to go back to the surface at all, and I certainly don't want to talk about it with you, Seeker Pentaghast."  
  
"We were brought here against our will!" she argued. "We deserve to know who we're working with! What more have--"  
  
Dawn swam forward, between the two parties. "That's enough!" she ordered, pushing the two away from each other. Her manner was like that of a scolding mother. "Cassandra, he probably had a reason for not wanting to talk about it, and trying to argue now won't solve anything. Fisk, you shouldn't have been so derisive of our surfacer attitudes when you're from the surface yourself."  
  
"But he--"  
  
"But she--"  
  
"I won't have it," Dawn cut both of them off, "we're not going to descend into endless bickering. We have a common enemy, and it's not like we haven't been lied to about far worse matters." Behind her, Blackwall rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "But getting angry isn't going to solve our problem. Cassandra, you don't have to approve of what he did, but he is here to help us. Fisk, stop with the attitude." She took a heavy breath. "We have more important issues than lying about one's place of origin. Those rifts are the real problem here, and we'll finish up today and be out of each other's hair by tomorrow morning."  
  
There was a moment of silence before Cassandra pulled herself away, grumbling as she retreated to her bed. Fisk was gawping at the woman as she turned her attention to him. "Now, then, I assume you're here to have us get our armor and breakfast?"  
  
He cleared his throat. "Yes, Your Worship. I came to inform you that breakfast will be served in the next twenty minutes and that your armor is ready. I'll...bring you all 'round the depot for it before we head out." He bowed his head to her, looking dazed. "I...I think I might be a bit late, actually. Give me just a few extra moments to gather myself."  
  
His face had gone unusually white. He almost looked as though he wanted to throw up. Dawn frowned, reaching for him. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked gingerly. "I'm here to help."  
  
He nodded. "Fine, Inquisitor. Just...give me a moment." With that, he left abruptly, nearly slamming the door behind himself. Dawn exhaled and turned to Cassandra, who was staring at the door in befuddlement.  
  
"What was that about?" the seeker asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Dawn crossed her arms. "He may have gotten upset about having his secret revealed. Fisk will be fine. How are you doing?" the Inquisitor pressed. Cassandra hugged herself and sighed.  
  
"I...am fine. Thank you for asking." She raised an eyebrow. "This isn't the first time you've broken up a fight. How did you get so good at this?"  
  
Dawn smiled. "I taught apprentices in the Circle for a few years. I'm used to dealing with arguing and upset students. That argument wasn't so bad compared to some of the spats the apprentices I worked with would have." She sighed. "For now, don't press the matter further. Fisk will come around if he decides to, and if he doesn't, that's okay. We just have to close the rifts together, and there's only two left. If he's not comfortable, it's not worth it to pry."  
  
Moments later, servants swam in with a breakfast of fish, to no one's surprise. As they were eating, Dorian turned to the Herald, smiling slightly. "I remember you told me you were a teacher before all of this. How did you deal with screaming children all day?"  
  
"Booze, Dorian." she replied simply. "Many people who teach also drink. It's very helpful after you walk in on two of your teenage students trying to have sex in an empty classroom. Not to mention the speech I had to give them about safe sex afterwards." She shuddered. "Okay, that was a bit of an extreme case, but you see my point."  
  
"You haven't had a lick of anything in days." Sera pointed out. "You okay?"  
  
"I'm fine, Sera." she reassured with a laugh. "It's not essential, just helpful. Maybe I'll try one those frozen alcohol cubes Dorian and Bull had..."  
  
Bull grinned. "That's the spirit, Boss! Tonight, it'll be on me."  
  
They finished eating, and the servants returned to collect their plates. They waited for at least half an hour for Fisk to show up before Cassandra let out an annoyed huff. "He's taking too long. We're wasting time." she snapped impatiently. "The sooner we get this done with, the better. Inquisitor, please consider the possibility of us heading to the weapon and armor depot without him." she pleaded, crossing her arms. "I'll feel better once I get that armor back on."  
  
"No," Dawn refused, "give him another half hour, and then I'll seek him out myself. He was left rather upset by this morning's events, and he said he might be late." She sighed. "I know you want to get our legs back as soon as possible, but Fisk didn't just up and abandon us."  
  
The door cracked open, and all eyes turned as Fisk floated in and closed the door behind him. Silently, he stared at the group, looking exhausted. His eyes met the Inquisitor's after a moment and he exhaled sharply. "I have not been forthcoming with you all, and I didn't realize it would trouble some of you as much as it did. But I did have my reasons for not talking about it. Before any of you--" his eyes darted to Cassandra, "--decide to interrogate me further, I'll tell you the truth so you never have to ask about my past again."  
  
Dawn frowned "You don't have to--"  
  
"I do. It will bother all of you to no end until I speak. So let's get this over with." He took another breath. "It's true. I was an elf from the Denerim alienage up until the middle of the Blight. You remember hearing about that scandal where sick elves from a plague were being taken as slaves to Tevinter?"  
  
No one said a thing. They were all looking uncomfortable, save for the Inquisitor and Cassandra, who watched him steadily. Fisk's eyes were hard, almost unblinking. "My brother fell very ill, and was taken off by the Tevinter slavers. I snuck in after them and when they caught me, they knocked me out and took me with them in their first round to Tevinter, their first batch of slaves." He growled. "Eventually, they boarded us onto a slave ship on the Waking Sea. My brother got only sicker and sicker, until finally one morning..." The merman felt his breath catch in his throat. "...he died."  
  
He sucked in hard and shuddered, then composed himself. "One of the shipmates started dragging his body out, and I lost my mind. I knocked him down and strangled him to death with my own chains. I didn't care if I lived or died at that point, and I admitted my guilt to the captain when he came to investigate." He growled. "Captain beat me and tossed me overboard with my brother's corpse for murdering one of the crewmen." The man scoffed. "I don't think he was particularly saddened by his loss as much as he found it an inconvenience."  
  
"I was chained, and I was going to drown, but the merfolk found me and sent their mages to rescue me. They let me bury my brother respectfully and gave me an education. When they saw I was as sharp as a whip and picked up their language much faster than they expected, they trained me to act as an ambassador of sorts. I have a job, and I live without fear of slavery. I haven't looked back since."  
  
Silence reigned until Cassandra frowned, giving him a pitiful look. "I am sorry, Fisk. I shouldn't have judged you so harshly. I know what it's like to lose a brother."  
  
"It's alright. Now that you know, will that be sufficient?" he asked stoically. Dorian stuttered for a moment, until he finally spoke.  
  
"I'm sorry." he apologized, sounding more remorseful than Cassandra. His fins were low and flat, not like the usual ostentatious effect his flared lionfish fins would have. Fisk raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What are you sorry for? You had nothing to do with this."  
  
"I'm from the land of the people that tried to enslave you and your brother. I had no idea." he sighed. "Was there anyone else you knew before all of this? Family, friends left behind that we could contact for you?"  
  
"No," he replied calmly, "I don't hold you personally accountable, Dorian. Every group on the surface has bad apples. Tevinter? Just more so than usual. In any event, my parents are dead, and my only other sibling, my younger sister, was taken to the Circle when she was ten. Her magic surfaced when she was nine, and we tried to hide it, but eventually she was discovered." He crossed his arms. "She went to Ferelden's Circle Tower, and I was only allowed contact with her through letters. The letters ceased when Uldred had his rebellion. Before she could send me a letter telling me she lived, or a letter from a templar telling me she died, I was brought here."  
  
"I failed her, Inquisitor." he said, turning his eyes to the Herald. "I failed everyone and everything I loved on the surface. Here, I've been successful enough. I have a job, an education, and I'm to be married in two months to one of the mages that saved me. He's a merman who was originally an apostate from the surface. He loves me, and I love him." He smiled. "I can remake myself here. There's nothing to be done now; I just pray that my sister is alright."  
  
Vivienne scoffed. "Your sister was better off in the Circle than the alienage, my dear. Circles offer education and a safe learning environment. At least, until they fell."  
  
"Don't you _dare_ say that to me," Fisk growled, "you heard what happened to the Ferelden Circle. My sister was an apprentice at the time, just a few years after she was taken from us." His eyes burned into the Enchanter with barely-withheld anger. "What part of that was safe for a teenage girl? I was never going to see my sister again, and now I don't even know if she's alive. The Circles failed, and I hope they _stay_ down."  
  
The merman was shaking visibly. His webbed fingers curled into fists, and everyone was left speechless. Dawn swam up to him slowly. "Maybe we can help you," she said, smiling gently, "your sister was probably part of the mage rebellion. A rebellion that joined the Inquisition. If she's alive, she's with us, and we can find her. Just tell me her name, and I'll have my advisors confirm her status for you as soon as I return to the surface."  
  
Fisk hesitated. "I...I'm not sure she would even want to see me after so long, but if you remember, her name is Samahl Mirras, answers to Sam." He huffed. "Now, let us get a move on. We've wasted enough time, and two rifts remain."  
  
He turned, and the others followed him outside silently, most still unsure of what to say. Solas cleared his throat.  
  
"Ir abelas, Lethallin."


End file.
